There's a homeless woman who hangs out at the northeast corner of Green and Lake in Pasadena. She sports a cardboard sign saying that even a smile is appreciated. I struck up a conversation with her today while waiting for the light to change. I told her that dinner would be available at Central Park around 6:45 pm. She told me that she couldn't go because the other homeless would make trouble, While she'd managed to get clean (kick her habit), it seems that her past behavior had resulted in a lot of scorched earth in terms of her standing among the other homeless. I told her that that wasn't who she was anymore, and I wouldn't allow the others to mistreat her during dinner. She responded by saying that they'd treat her badly afterwards. I was still hoping that she'd show up last night, but she didn't.
It's hard enough to be homeless and shunned by society; but to be homeless and shunned even by other homeless even after you've made positive strides towards getting your life together,...
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